ABOUT CAVERN:Cavern creates a unique sound of doom and sludge influenced grind that barely lets you breathe. The southern New Brunswick, Canada trio formed in early 2013 and put an immediate focus on writing and recording. The outcome is short bursts of aggression with a thunderous low end thanks to drummer Chuck Roherty and bassist/vocalist Scott Lilly. Guitarist/vocalist Scott Miller adds detuned noise and dissonance to the mix for a perfect blend of barely controlled chaos.

ABOUT ANTHESIS:Anthesis (formerly The Daisy Anthesis) originally started as an acoustic duo formed by guitarist/vocalist Scott Miller and bassist/vocalist Scott Lilly in 2004. Once they met drummer Andrew Martin in early 2006 they quickly burnt their acoustics and cranked their full stacks. Releasing their debut full length album "Surface and the Sky" on Diminished Fifth Records in 2010, Anthesis has evolved and been perfecting their groovy sludge/noise fusion without any restrictions.

This split LP opens with the metal-influenced “Plaque/Smog (Cavern)”; there’s some classic dropped-tuned chugging and even some harmonised guitar lines here, but cheesy teenage pop-metal this ain’t. The vocals are howled with pain and passion; huge, throat-splitting cries that engulf each song and make them as captivating as they are occasionally unsettling. The riffs fall more on the side of dissonant hardcore, unrelenting and sometimes brutal, focusing more on feel and emotion rather than actual melody. “Winter”, follows more of a hardcore path with a much faster tempo, some gloriously intricate drumming halfway through and a thundering, dramatic breakdown at the end. There’s the briefest splash of guitar melody, but the majority of “Cavern” delivers pummeling, face-crushing riffs competing for your attention with those guttural screams.

Anthesis know exactly when to bring in and remove a new element for maximum impact. This split displays some excellent songwriting from two excellent bands.

Yet they put on a pretty solid performance on their half too. They seem to use more grind-inspired sounds. The drums are hard hitting with earth-shattering guitar riffs. Vocal screams are blended behind the guitars and drums, just loud enough to become noticeable. The vocal mixing is reminiscent of if say Nasum and Sikth were involved in a bloody car crash of sheer carnage. The results are that the guitars are the real driving force of their tracks, consistently changing the pace with some beautiful grind coming out. The very ending builds just like the opening of the band, sheer brutally at it's finest.